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Column: Nothing to fear from a snowy Super Bowl

Published on NewsOK
Modified: February 9, 2013 at 5:06 pm •
Published: February 9, 2013

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Woody Johnson owns the New York Jets, so he's no stranger to making big proclamations. Consider this one, just after the New York area won the bid for the first Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium in a cold weather market.

Traffic is backed up on the Long Island Expressway just west of Exit 59 Ocean Avenue as payloaders clear snow from the road after a storm, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, in Ronkonkoma , N.Y. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

"I like doing things for the first time," Johnson said. "I hope it snows."

Not quite as bold as guaranteeing his team would be both a host and participant in the game. As dysfunctional as the Jets are, it's hard to imagine they'll still be playing next Feb. 2 when the two best teams in football square off in the 48th big game of the modern — or any other — era.

But Johnson could easily get his wish when it comes to the weather, as New Yorkers were reminded this weekend.

Probably not a foot of snow like the New York area got hit with in the latest storm just days after the Super Bowl in New Orleans. But cold, definitely, with snow more than just a random possibility.

It's a scenario that will occupy organizers for many long hours. There will be volunteers ready to sweep snow from the stadium at the Meadowlands, portable heaters everywhere, and extra stocks of hot chocolate and schnapps for corporate executives to sip in the stands.

Ultimately, though, it's not something the NFL needs to be terribly worried about.

The league can do no wrong, and that won't change just because the elements will intrude on the next Super Bowl. Might even make it more interesting for the 100 million or so people who will be watching in the comfort of their own living rooms.

Football is a game meant to be played in the elements, as Commissioner Roger Goodell reminded us last week in New Orleans. One of the NFL's iconic games was the so-called "Ice Bowl" of 1967, when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Dallas Cowboys on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field to win a spot in the second Super Bowl.

The temperature at game time was 14 degrees below zero, and the wind chill was far worse. The field was a sheet of ice, and it was so cold referees couldn't use whistles because they became frozen to their lips.

Sorry, New Jersey, but you're not going to top that. And they still played the game.

Yes, it could be cold. Yes, there could be snow.

And, yes, the game would be better off in Florida or inside a dome with good electrical service. That's especially true if the participants are teams used to domes or warm climates.

But the Jets and Giants spent a lot of money to build the new stadium they share, and they wanted a Super Bowl for the New York metropolitan area.

Ultimately that's what drives Super Bowl selection these days. Owners want to reward their fellow owners, and five of the last 10 title games have gone to cities that have ponied up for new stadiums.